A WORD FOR TODAY, March 16, 2026
Peggy Hoppes
We pray you have been blessed by this daily devotion.
Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, March 16, 2026
“Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.” Matthew 28:18-20, WEB
“The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray,” is one of the few things I remember from my high school reading lists. John Steinbeck used this idea in “Of Mice and Men” which came from Robert Burns’ poem “To a Mouse”. This thought usually comes to mind when something I planned does not go as I expect. The changes are not always bad, but whenever I walk away from unfulfilled expectations, I wonder what might have been.
In my last devotion, I wrote that I was going on vacation and that I hoped to spend some time prayerfully discerning my future and the future of this ministry. I confess that I didn’t really even think about it. We were on a cruise that was filled with some much to do and so much noise. We did spend time quietly pondering God’s amazing creation as we sat on our balcony watching the waves and constantly changing sky. It was enough to empty my mind as I found rest and peace.
I did take time during the trip to be a witness for Jesus. I didn’t stand on a soapbox on the Lido deck, but I gave away a bunch of Little Jesus figurines as I played the Hidden Duck game on the ship. I also hung Flat Jesus on my doorway and provided a place for people to share their prayer requests. It is risky to wear your faith on my sleeve. Some of the notes that people left were inappropriate and even offensive. We read the requests regularly and removed a few to keep our wall positive. We wrote notes to share with our friends, and we were generous with the crew. It might not seem like much, but we did have an impact on some of the lives we touched.
Men and women were called to be part of Jesus’ work from the beginning of His ministry. Some had powerful voices, while others witnessed in more subtle ways, as servants and caregivers. Faith gives us everything we need to shine His light wherever we are, whatever opportunities we get, yet many Christians do not even realize that we have been given a Great Commission to share Jesus with the world.
John Teter addressed this question in his book “The Power of the 72: Ordinary Disciples in Extraordinary Evangelism.” The seventy-two were the disciples in Luke 10 that Jesus sent out ahead of Him to every town and place He was about to go. They were told not to take anything with them, but to trust God to provide as they went to share the Good News. This is the story where they are to shares God’s peace with those who would take it, and to wipe their shoes of the dust of the towns of those who reject it. I haven’t read the book, but the point I took from an interview I read about it is that Jesus didn’t call professionals to do His work of evangelism in the world. These were not trained ministers. These were men who were just like you and me. They had a heart for God and enthusiastically went to tell others about His grace.
The interviewer mentioned a Barna research study that found that 51% of the Christians they polled do not know about the Great Commission. Sadly, many who had heard that term could not describe it. The study divided the group by demographics: churchgoers were more familiar with the text than non-churched Christians. Older Christians knew it better than younger Christians. Certain denominations were more likely to know where it is found in the scriptures. Even when churchgoers were given a list of five texts, only 37% could pick the right one. We aren’t teaching Christians that we are all called to go out into the world to share the Good News of Jesus.
John Teter pointed out that today’s brief text, the Great Commission, is filled with three eternal truths. First, Jesus has all authority over everything in the universe. Second, we are called and gifted to follow Him and to share the Gospel to make disciples of all nations. Third, He will never leave us even to the very end of the age. The sharing part is risky, but we are reminded by this text that Jesus is in control and He is always with us. Why do we hide our faith when Jesus has assured us that we will have everything that we will need?
The Story of Jesus Christ is one that we continue to share today. We don’t need to be trained ministers or professional evangelists. We are ordinary people, just like the seventy-two, sent out into the world to share the Good News with others. We can be good witnesses, even on cruise ships filled with people who are there to have a good time. I did not spend time discerning my future because it was a time for rest and peace. Unfortunately, I’ve come home to the same problems. My website is still down and I still have to consider whether I will continue with this ministry. Whatever happens next, we are reminded by today’s text that sharing Jesus is a meant to be a daily part of our lives, and we can obey the Great Commission by the power of God’s Holy Spirit because He is with us wherever we go.
A WORD FOR TODAY is posted five days a week – Monday through Friday. The devotional on Wednesday takes a look at the scripture from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday. A WORD FOR TODAY is posted on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Word-for-Today-Devotional/339428839418276.